Merry Christmas!

What a Christmas. It was perfect. And I think it was exactly what my mother was hoping I would allow to finally happen. This Christmas wasn't spent in a fog of missing my mother. It was another one where I faked my way through it. It was not another one where I held myself back from enjoying the holiday with loved ones and friends. Instead, I allowed myself to be present to each and every moment. And I truly could not have asked for a better experience.

Christmas started early given that the love of my life and myself ended up opening every present we had for each other in the wee hours of Christmas day. Truly, I wanted to exchange one present Christmas Eve and leave the rest for the morning. But after we each opened one . . . we decided to just keep going. And it couldn't have evolved into a more spectacular Christmas. And, though I got awesome gifts . . . the joy for me was watching him as he opened up each gift and seeing his face light up or break out into a huge smile. There were practical and extravagant gifts, but each had its own meaning or story. They were thought out carefully because I had learned to do what my mother taught so well, which was to pay attention. Pay attention to everything. There may be those random statements that really aren't so random that will lead to something big, like some of the gifts that I ended up getting for my loved one. When we were opening up gifts, I knew my mother was with me because what really mattered most to me was him opening his gifts and for me to see his reaction.

I recall from an early age that my mother would spend hours in a mall looking, just looking, around at different things and thinking about who needs what or who would appreciate something that caught her eye. My mother didn't just buy gifts for people to have something to give. There was thought, careful thought, for each and every gift purchased. Some may think that purchasing a tie for a man is simple - but not to my mother. She thought about the man, the colors he wore or colors that would best suit him. She thought about his personality, etc. Interestingly enough, I did purchase a tie for the love of my life for Christmas. But it wasn't just a tie. First, it was bought from a store that I knew he loved. Second, I thought about everything that my mother always articulated when she was selecting a tie for a man. I thought about the suits he had, the colors he looked best in and his personality. The things that he liked the best - nothing flamboyant or loud, rather something that was simple yet elegant. I spent much time online looking at different ties that were offered before I went to the store. And when I went to the store, though it was a quick decision, I went through an abbreviated process to  make my final decision. And in the end, it was perfect. He loved it. It was so perfect that when he saw the bag, he thought I was playing a joke on him. 

The best Christmas present for me was watching my man open up each gift that was carefully selected for him. And it was because of the many lessons my mother taught me that I didn't even know she was teaching. That, is also the best Christmas present ever.

** I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and loved ones. And thank you for taking time out of your day to read my blog and leaving comments. I appreciate it all.